Neighbors See Red Over Yellow Home

October 24, 1986|By ROBIN BRANCH, Staff Columnist

Geraldine Field of Delray Beach has painted herself into a corner.

Normally, that`s not the sort of offense that leads to contempt of court charges, of course, and if Field had done the job with ``fizzy lime`` green paint, she wouldn`t have gotten any hassle about it either.

But she did the deed with ``pale yellow,`` and not since John and Helga Schick of Leisureville in Boynton Beach landscaped their yard with (gasp!) strawberry plants in a blatant disregard of community standards for approved flora has there been such an uproar.

Field`s, uh -- shall we say, her brush with regulations? -- came about because she lives in Rainberry Woods, where bylaws of the homeowners` association require that all duplexes be painted in earth tones and that adjoining units be painted the same color.

But while the upper portion of Field`s townhome is weathered wood, the bottom portion is painted pale yellow. And this is in contrast to the adjoining townhome, which is described in court documents as ``a fizzy lime`` in color.

Circuit Court Judge William Rutter, holding Field in contempt of court for the second time, finally gave her 14 days to go fizzy lime, too, after which the homeowners` association might take matters into its own hands and hire a painter at Field`s expense.

WELL, IT LOOKS GOOD IN ORLANDO

``It`s ridiculous,`` says Field of the now 2-year-old tempest in a paintpot.

Not so ridiculous, counters the president of the homeowners` association, which fears that a breakdown in uniformity in painting adjacent townhomes could lead to what it calls color chaos.

``One person could have a green house and the attached one could be purple,`` said Lenore Bamond. ``It would look like Walt Disney World.``

Of the mismatch, Robert Harris, the association`s attorney said, ``I think it looks terrible.``

Field, however, proving once again that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, says the fizzy lime is ``ugly`` and, furthermore, that complaints about Rainberry`s color code abound in the community.

Tony Sherling, a neighbor, said she faced a similar demand from the association in January after the occupants of an adjoining townhome painted one side of their duplex a ``slightly lighter`` color than hers.

``The board then said my side looked faded and I needed a new paint job,`` she said. ``I fought them and they stopped bothering me.``

Field was sued by the association because she repainted her house from light green to yellow without the association board`s permission, or at least that`s what it says in the court documents. But Field tells a different story.

Field says it was her neighbor, Barry Lewis -- absentee owner of the green townhome connected to hers -- who changed colors first, without notifying her as stipulated by association bylaws. She said her house is nearly the same yellow as it was when it was built, and that the association, unable to reach Lewis, went after her in desperation to ``blend things.``

COMPROMISE IS `BERRY` POSSIBLE

Now Field said she has sent the judge a letter asking if she can tell her side of the story and is awaiting a response.

``I`m not knuckling under,`` says Field, who worked for a public relations firm in Boca Raton before launching her present campaign for election to the District 86 House seat against incumbent Steve Press.

Rumor is that a compromise will be reached in Rainberry Woods by concealing the offending townhome from public view -- the fizzy green and the pale yellow side alike -- by means of creative landscaping.

But that`s only if they can find strawberry plants that will grow tall enough to do the job.